Italian Wedding Soup

Classic Italian Wedding Soup earns its place at any table with herb-flecked meatballs made from Pre's 85% lean grass-fed ground beef, simmered until tender in a golden, dill-scented chicken broth with delicate pasta and fresh spinach. The richer fat content of 85% ground beef keeps the meatballs moist and flavorful throughout baking and again when they finish in the soup. A deeply satisfying bowl, it holds up beautifully in the refrigerator for days, making it an ideal cook-once, eat-all-week centerpiece.

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 6–8

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Italian Wedding Soup Ingredients

For the Meatballs:

• 1 16-ounce package of Pre 85% Lean Ground Beef

• ¾ cup bread crumbs

• 1 tablespoon of garlic, minced

• 3 tablespoons of fresh parsley, finely chopped

• ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

• ¼ cup milk

• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

• ½ teaspoon dried dill

For the Soup:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1¼ cups yellow onion, finely diced

• 1 cup carrots, diced small

• 1 cup celery, diced small

• 3 quarts low-sodium chicken stock

• ¾ cup dry white wine

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 1 cup small pasta, such as ditalini or pastina

• ⅓ cup fresh dill, minced

• 5 ounces fresh baby spinach

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º F.

2. Combine ground beef, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Parmesan, milk, eggs, salt, pepper, and dried dill in a bowl and mix gently until just combined. (Why: overmixing compacts the protein, resulting in dense, tough meatballs.)

3. Roll mixture into small meatballs using about 1½ tablespoons of mix per meatball and place on a parchment-lined sheet pan.

4. Bake meatballs for 25 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned.

5. While meatballs bake, heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-low heat.

6. Add onion, carrots, and celery and sauté, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 to 6 minutes.

7. Add chicken stock, wine, and salt and bring to a low boil.

8. Add pasta to simmering broth and cook 6 to 8 minutes, until pasta is tender.

9. Add fresh dill and baked meatballs to soup and simmer 1 minute. (Why: adding meatballs at the end prevents them from breaking apart and keeps them juicy.)

10. Stir in fresh spinach and cook 1 minute, until just wilted.

11. Serve Italian Wedding Soup with additional grated Parmesan. Soup keeps up to 5 days refrigerated or up to 2 months frozen.